1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic apparatus, and in a preferred embodiment thereof more particularly relates to the dissipation of heat from internal components of electronic devices such as computer devices.
2. Description of Related Art
The heat generating components of electronic devices, for example computer devices and accessories, are typically disposed within a protective housing of having a suitable configuration. Because these components are normally not exposed directly to ambient air, it becomes necessary to dissipate their operating heat to the exterior of the housing in order to prevent thermally caused component failure or degradation.
For example, the primary transformer in an AC adapter used to receive 110 volt AC power and convert it to, for example, 12 volt DC for supply to a computer can generate a considerable amount of heat within its usually rather small protective outer housing. To prevent this heat from being unacceptably high, it has been customary to modify the transformer circuitry to reduce the heat output of its circuitry, or to use relatively complex heat sink apparatus which required that specially designed and correspondingly expensive transformer core materials be used for compatibility with the heat sink apparatus.
From both complexity and cost standpoints, neither of these previously utilized methods of reducing or dissipating transformer operating heat has proven to be entirely satisfactory. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for more economically dissipating operating heat from a housing-contained electrical component such as a primary transformer in an AC adapter assembly useable in conjunction with a computer or other electronic apparatus.